Ending The Game
by rayj829
Summary: An alternate ending to episode 2x20, starting from when C&V walk into the Van der Bass penthouse only to be unpleasantly greeted by the sight of a chummy B&N. A C&B story with some N&V as well.


_AN: It's Limoversary 2014, everyone! While some of you have messaged and asked if I'd be contributing anything for this year... well I got a C&B o/s for you that takes place in s2 even though it's not really Limoversary-related or using any of the prompts associated with the event. Regardless, here's a little treat for you all and don't worry - I haven't abandoned Chairytale - it's just taking a minor unplanned hiatus as I've had a lot of busy weeks this past month with work as well as health-related stuff regarding my little guy._

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><p>After sharing an elevator ride together, Chuck and Vanessa had just walked into the penthouse and rounded the corner when he stopped dead in his tracks as he felt his heart sink at the sight across the room. There was Nate, sitting on the arm of the sofa with Blair standing in front of him, playing with the lapels of his jacket.<p>

_Yeah, just friends_, Chuck scoffed to himself.

"What are they doing here?" Vanessa asked, surprised to see Blair and Nate there, together, after he had just assured her the night before that there was no one else when she asked about the reason behind him breaking up with her. "What do we do?" she asked Chuck, clearly on the verge of panicking as they had yet to come up with a plan to make their exes jealous that they both agreed on.

Chuck tried to think fast as he noticed Nate and Blair wearing a similar look of shock on their faces at the sight of him and Vanessa together as Vanessa wore on hers at the sight of seeing them together.

Before he could react, he felt Vanessa pull him towards her, her lips crashing down on his as she slid a hand around his neck, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss.

_Not quite what I had in mind, but this could work_, he thought to himself as he began to return her kiss just as eagerly, deciding to make it look convincing knowing that both Blair's and Nate's eyes were upon them. He had to admit, the Brooklyn girl wasn't a terrible a kisser.

He didn't even realize he had closed his eyes however as he began to open them, he spied Blair storming off in a huff down the hallway as Nate began to approach.

"Right on cue, here comes Nate," Chuck uttered to Vanessa as he slowly pulled away from her lips, slightly motioning with his head their incoming visitor. "Good luck."

"You too," Vanessa whispered back as she turned to right herself just as Nate reached them.

"Wow... so... you two, huh?" Nate inquired, still wearing a look of shock at what he had just witnessed.

"We're not a couple, it's just physical," Vanessa smugly replied.

"I'll take your word for it," Nate replied, knowing Chuck and preferring not to know any of the details.

"Yeah... If you'll excuse me, I'll leave you two to chat," Chuck stated, pushing past Nate and casually heading down the hallway in the direction Blair had gone.

"Listen, whatever's going on between you two... just make sure Chuck isn't talking you into something that you'll regret," Nate started to tell her only for her to interrupt.

"Whatever is going on between me and Chuck wasn't his idea – it was mine," Vanessa firmly told him. "And at least he doesn't pretend to be one thing when really he's another," she added, pausing to let it sink in. Noticing Nate's confusion, she decided to continue and clarify for him. "You said last night that there was no one else," she reminded him.

"There's not!" Nate began to protest. "Blair's my friend – there's nothing going on between us, I swear!"

"Really? Because you sure looked awfully cozy together just a moment ago," Vanessa shot back, growing even more upset at his continuous lies.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

Chuck casually strolled down the hallway and came to a stop as he approached his bedroom door, seeing Blair sitting on the side of the bed, clearly upset.

"What's got you so bothered, Waldorf?" he remarked as he entered his room, closing the door slightly.

"Really Chuck? Vanessa?!" she shrieked at him as she stood to her feet. "You have to admit, resorting to Brooklyn... she's beneath you."

"Hasn't happened yet, however I've sure by the end of the night she will be," he replied with a smirk as he walked over to the desk and poured himself a drink. "Jealous much?"

"Hardly," Blair scoffed at him, trying to hide how she was really feeling. "You know she's only using you as a rebound after Nate."

"Just like you're using Nate?" he called her out as he walked past her and plopped down on the bed, making himself comfortable in the center. "And besides, who says I'm not using her? Or that we're using each other?" he casually pointed out as he took a sip of his scotch.

"I'm not using Nate," Blair quickly responded as she resumed her place on the side of the bed. Almost too quickly.

"I guess that's true to some degree... because we both know he'll never satisfy your needs," Chuck casually remarked as he swirled the amber liquid in his glass.

"Not that it's any of your business but like I told you, we... have chemistry. A spark. Fireworks even!"

"Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that. It's not my fault you chose someone miserable in the sack."

"Chose? What are you talking about? I told you, Nate and I are just friends... for now."

"Friends don't spend the night, Blair... or leave each others houses early in the morning every day. Or look all cozy together like you two just were out there," he pointed out as he leaned in towards her, hurt and anger both filling his eyes.

"Well perhaps if you had bothered to fight a little harder for me last week instead of just giving up and going home, things would be different," she snapped back at him, growing just as angry with him.

"Oh but I did," he told her as he paused to take another sip of his drink, noting the look of confusion on her face at his words. "Ah, I see dear old sis failed to tell you what happened... almost makes me wonder who's side she's actually on..." his voice trailed as the thought occurred to him. "Regardless, yes, I did come home after giving up at the Van der Bilt estate, resigned to the fact that I had lost you. I expressed to this to Serena once she prodded the information out of me, making me realize that I didn't try hard enough. That there was something more I could have done... could have said... so I went to your place, figuring I'd wait if you weren't back yet, however when I got there Dorota refused to let me upstairs to see you, saying you had already gone to bed for the night. I almost believed her... until I saw Nate's jacket in the corner and before you try to make some excuse, I know it was his because it had the Van der Bilt crest on it. So, knowing you had made your choice, that he was already there with you, in your room, and that I was too late... I left," he explained as he returned his attention back to the glass in his hand.

"Wait, you came?" Blair asked, surprised by his confession as she turned to face him.

"That's what I said... so much for Dorota telling you I stopped by in the morning like she said she would... and here, I thought I had made progress with her over the years," Chuck sadly remarked, a bit hurt that Dorota obviously hadn't kept her word.

"Nothing has actually happened between Nate and I yet," she informed him, hopeful that maybe there was still a chance at something between them.

"Doesn't matter – it's clear you've made your choice. You'll always pick him," he sadly stated.

"But Chuck... you don't know that-"

"Yes I do - he fits with the dream, I don't. We never stood a chance," he sighed, regretfully as he shifted his eyes away from her stare, only to glance back at her a moment later to catch her still looking at him.

"I love you, Chuck."

"Don't."

"But Chuck, I-"

"Stop Blair, please – don't," he sternly urged her as he closed his eyes to fight back the moisture he was beginning to feel forming in them, pinching the bridge of his nose and hoping she wouldn't utter it again. "This isn't some movie, Blair – you can't just say those three little words and expect everything to be right again with the world. Especially when I know you don't mean them."

"But I do mean them!" she blurted out, desperate for him to realize it.

"No you don't, because if you did... you wouldn't have chosen Nathaniel. You would have chosen me."

"Chuck, I haven't chosen anyone," she sighed as she closed her eyes, getting frustrated with him. He really could be a stubborn ass at times. "And I do love you. And I know you love me too, don't you?" she asked him as she leaned in closer towards him on the center of the bed. "Don't you?" she firmly pleaded with him as she held his face by his chin, forcing him to look at her, her eyes begging him to answer.

"Even if I did, it's not like it would change anything," he remarked as he pulled away from her grasp. "We would never work. I don't fit with your perfect dream, Blair – Nate does," he reminded her as he turned his gaze back to his scotch, continuing to swirl it around.

"Forget the dream, Chuck – that got thrown out the window when I lost Yale," she quipped as she sighed in frustration. Glancing around, she quickly thought up another tactic. "Forget all the lies, all the games and manipulations... look down, deep into that soul I know you have and just be honest with me, with yourself. If you really want to be with me and truly mean it, I _need_ to hear you say it," she told him as she moved closer still to him on the bed, pulling the side of his face, forcing him to look at her and face him. "I love you. Do you love me?" she demanded to know, a bit nervous albeit being pretty sure of his answer.

He had been prepared to say it to her last week at her home, after his chat with Serena, however thinking she had already rebounded and gone back to Nate had crushed all hope he had. Now, his eyes frantically searched her own, seeking the genuine truth in them as he nervously bit his lower lip.

_Screw it_, he decided at once. She had already broken his heart before, what's the worst that could happen now?

"I do," he quietly spoke, just barely audible.

"Do what?" Blair pressed him even more, refusing to let him get away without actually saying it.

"I do love you," he sighed as he opened his eyes. "I love you," he stated once more, looking at her this time.

Before he could say anything more he felt her hands around his neck relax their grip just slightly as she threw herself towards him, her lips crashing down on his. Without having to think, he instinctively kissed her in return, placing the glass on the nightstand and wrapping his arms around her, letting his hands roam along her back.

"I love you," she breathed between kisses.

"I love you too," he uttered in return as she rolled on top of him. He was surprised at how easily the words rolled off his lips now that he had said them once.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"Don't you get it, Nate? She'll always choose Chuck!" Vanessa protested, growing impatient with him.

"Yeah, well... she hasn't chosen anyone yet and I guess we'll see what happens. Maybe she will, maybe she won't," Nate was quick to say.

"If she's not your girlfriend, then why don't we go see where she disappeared to – her and Chuck have both been gone awhile," Vanessa slyly suggested, hoping that Chuck had been successful so that Nate would see for himself that she was right. Blair would always choose Chuck.

Walking down they hall, they quietly approached Chuck's room where the door was just slightly ajar. Peeking in, Vanessa sighed in relief at the sight she saw. There was Chuck, rolling around on the bed, surprisingly still clothed, with Blair in his arms as they passionately proceeded to make out.

"I love you," they both heard Chuck breathlessly utter between kisses as his hands roamed her body. Vanessa's jaw nearly dropped at his declaration. While she was never particularly fond of Chuck and Blair, she was well aware of all the drama between them and what a struggle Blair went through trying to get him to say those three words back to her.

"I love you," Blair breathed in returned as they witnessed her continue to kiss him passionately.

"Wow..." Nate whispered in complete disbelief as he continued to watch. While he had known neither Blair nor Chuck were completely over one another, he wasn't prepared for this. At least not yet. "I have never heard him say that. To anyone." Surprisingly though, he wasn't mad like he thought he would be. If anything he was relieved that they had finally seemed to realize and admit their feelings to each other.

"Well, I guess we know who she chose," Vanessa stated as she carefully pulled the door shut all the way. They both knew things between Chuck and Blair would eventually escalate soon.

"Well, I guess I owe you an apology," Nate admitted as he sheepishly looked at Vanessa. "Look, about last night-"

"Why don't we discuss it over ice cream? I know a great little place on my way home that's open late – give me ride?"she suggested as they walked down the hallway.

"Sounds great," Nate chuckled, relieved that she was willing to talk. Perhaps he had been wrong in breaking up with her.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

Blair woke up and was confused at first as she noticed she wasn't in her own bed, nor was she alone. Leaning forward just slightly and carefully as to not wake the sleeping body beside her, she realized she was in Chuck's bed and recalled the events of last night. Looking over, she couldn't help smiling to herself as she spied Chuck snuggled up beside her under the covers, his arm both protectively and lovingly draped across her with a peaceful smile on his own lips.

Glancing over at the nightstand, she noticed the time on the clock and decided she was a bit hungry. Slowly, she gently slid out from under his arm and the blanket and got out of bed. Looking down, she noticed she was wearing the blue plaid flannel shirt to his pajamas and recalled how cold it had gotten last night, despite Chuck's efforts to keep her warm in his arms. Even though it was flannel, she had to admit, the shirt had been warm and comfy. Inhaling deeply, she took in Chuck's smell on the fabric and quickly made a note to take it home with her. There was no way he was getting this shirt back now.

As she made her way over to his dresser to find some bottoms, pulling out a pair of champagne silk boxers and promptly sliding them on, rolling them at the waist so they fit, she noticed it was still snowing outside. She tiptoed across the room and quietly opened the door, hoping she could get something to eat and sneak back in bed with him before he noticed.

"B?" she heard Serena's voice question as she joined her at the breakfast bar.

"Morning, S," Blair smiled as she surveyed what offerings had been left out for the morning.

"What are you doing here? I didn't know you had spent the night... I saw Nate and Vanessa leave together last night and had assumed you had gone home too," Serena began before pausing, noticing just what Blair was wearing. "Wait a minute, is that-"

"Yep," Blair casually confirmed with a grin, already knowing what Serena was about to ask.

"Oh my god! But how? I thought things were over between you two?!"

"He finally told me," Blair said while she picked at a croissant with a dreamy look on her face as she recalled Chuck finally telling her what she had been longing to hear from him.

"Told you? Told you what?" Serena pressed further, not quite following.

"That he loves me," Blair grinned once more.

"Oh my god, B! That's great!" Serena squealed, genuinely excited for her best friend and her stepbrother. "So does this mean you two are finally together or...?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I would like to think so," Blair stated as she continued to pick at the food in her hand.

A moment later Blair felt Chuck's arms wrap around her waist, pulling her back to him as he gently kissed the small bit of her exposed neck just above the collar of his shirt that she was still wearing, becoming intoxicated by her scent as he did so.

"Morning," he breathed along her neck as he continued to delicately plant kisses while he held onto her.

"Morning," she smiled while playfully giggling.

"You know, when I woke up alone, for a minute there I thought I had either dreamed up last night or that you had changed your mind and ran," he confessed as he closed his eyes and continued to take in her scent.

"Nope, I'm still here," she assured him as she intertwined the fingers of her free hand with the fingers of one of his own around her waist.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear before kissing her on the cheek. Having finally said it to her last night, the words now came easily to him. He couldn't say it to her enough, as he had proved over and over last night.

"I love you too," she quietly told him back, turning her face to meet his, kissing him on the lips in return.

"You know, I almost forgot how sexy you look wearing my clothes," he uttered to her.

"Funny, and I here I thought you preferred them on the floor," she smirked at him before returning yet another kiss.

"Ahem," Serena spoke, as if she were clearing her throat, reminding them that she was still there.

"Morning, sis," Chuck acknowledged her between a kiss, never turning his attention away from Blair.

"Gah, the sight of you two being all lovey-dovey and affectionate in public is going to take some getting used to," Serena remarked before taking a sip of coffee. She had to admit though, the sight of the two them, finally happy and together, was cute.

"Well considering it's supposed to snow all weekend, forcing us all to stay inside and keep warm, I think you'll have plenty of time to adjust before school on Monday," Chuck smirked at her.

"Serena! I just got off the phone with Gabriel – the snow is supposed to be letting up and if we leave now, we might just be able to catch a small window of time where the plane can take off," they heard Poppy exclaim as she rounded the corner and approached them all.

"Go where?" Blair questioned as she abruptly pulled away from Chuck's lips to address Serena.

"Well while you two might have plans on how to keep warm this weekend, I intend to escape this weather with Poppy and her boyfriend Gabriel on a trip to Spain," Serena announced as she hopped off the stool she had been sitting on.

"Oh, well in that case – have fun, sis. You know we will," he smirked at her once more as he rested his chin on Blair's shoulder, his arms still wrapped around her waist.

"Ready?" Poppy asked Serena, eager to leave.

"Yep, although..." Serena paused as she turned around embraced Blair, pulling her out of Chuck's arms in the process. "Oh, B! If you're happy, I'm happy for you," she declared with a smile, practically bouncing with joy.

"I am," Blair assured her with a smile of her own.

"And you," Serena continued, turning to Chuck, pointing a finger at him. "Don't mess it up this time!" she demanded, causing him to slightly laugh.

"Don't worry, Serena – I won't. I learned my lesson last year," he too assured her.

"I hope so," Serena muttered, hoping that things would actually work out for the two of them this time. "I'll see you both when I get back! Arrivederci!" she called over her shoulder as Poppy began leading her towards the elevator.

"So... snowed in for the weekend... what did you have in mind, Bass?" Blair turned to question him with a seductive look in her eye.

"I had a few ideas," he smirked at her as he unexpectedly scooped her up in his arms and began carrying her back to the bedroom.


End file.
